Results 12,521-12,540 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Tory Government is certainly not the inspiration for the Minister's actions. As far as the Department of public expenditure and reform is concerned, all information on public expenditure belongs to the public and should be available for public use. The Department's aim is to put Ireland at the leading edge in terms of openness and transparency of public data. The Department's website...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: Do not forget the Liberal Democrats.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: What inspiration?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes, of course; it will follow through on all elements of the programme for Government.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand the Minister hopes to be back in the House later this evening. I reject the suggestion that this is not substantial legislation providing for substantial reform. For the first time-----

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: We have reformed functions and created a new Department, the business of which will be to reform the way public business is done. Senator Jim Walsh is right that we need to learn from what happened in the past and the appalling mistakes made in recent years. That is the clear intention of the Government in its programme for Government, this legislation and the statement the Minister made...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: I said it was not as broad as the debate.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is quite interesting that a Member of the Seanad would wish to be excluded from being the Minister in this case. Article 28.7 of the Constitution provides that the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the member of the Government who is in charge of the Department of Finance must be Members of Dáil Éireann. The Constitution does not include a similar provision in the case of other Ministers...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: I understand what Senator Byrne is seeking to achieve here. The functions of the Minister were undertaken by the Department of Finance previous to this because the new Department did not exist. The new Department is being set up under this legislation. As it did not exist, the functions carried out by the Minister, Deputy Howlin, prior to this were carried out by the Department of Finance....

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to inform the House that I have received information that the Minister, Deputy Howlin, will be here later this evening. He may have an opportunity to clarify what he has been doing. I would again stress the point that the Department being established under this legislation did not have any functions prior to the legislation going through and whatever work the Minister, Deputy Howlin,...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: If I may clarify again, I understand what Senator Byrne wants and the Minister, Deputy Howlin, will understand what he wants. It is merely not appropriate to put it into the legislation of a Department that does not yet exist until such time as it has been passed through the various processes.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Senator stated, at the moment it is within the Department of Finance. That is appropriate. There is a great deal of co-operation between the two Departments and there will be in future. As of now, I understand there are no plans to rent offices or to incur any excessive expenditure. The Minister, Deputy Howlin, will be able to better clarify the matter for the Senator at a later stage.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Senator's amendment seeks to confer statutory authority on the Minister with responsibility for expenditure and public reform in the setting of certain revenues. As the Senator is aware, appropriations-in-aid are receipts that accrue directly to Departments or their agencies and which may be retained by those bodies to offset the cost of delivering services rather than submit them to the...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: It was section 15(5).

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: It may be an incorrect reference. Perhaps it referred to the Bill before it was amended. It is section 16(5). The earlier reference was an error. Does the Senator wish me to outline it?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are dealing with this legislation very carefully in both Houses. We will endeavour to have it published in the Irish language as quickly as possible.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: The proposed amendment is that the date should be 1 July 2011 but it is unlikely that it will be ready in that timescale. In any event, the appointed day would normally be decided by the Government. The Government will decide that as soon as possible.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: We do not have a date.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes. Subject to the approval of the Houses and the President's signature, the Minister has indicated that it is anticipated it will be 5 July.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jan O'Sullivan: Normally the Government decides the date. I cannot accept this amendment.